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January 13, 2014

Depression May Be Linked to Low Zinc Levels

Because soils in the United States are
generally low in levels of zinc, this may well be factual and part of
the depression problem. Granted this is the determination of a
meta-analysis and not a large controlled study. In addition, the
authors list some weaknesses of the studies they used. Association
studies cannot determine the direction of causation, a causal
association between zinc status and depression is biologically
plausible.

Zinc does have antioxidant properties, it helps to maintain endocrine
homeostasis and immune function, and zinc plays multiple roles in
regulating the hippocampal and cortical glutamatergic circuits that
sub serve regulation and cognitive function. Thus, changes in zinc
homeostasis might compromise neuroplasticity and contribute to
long-term neuropsychological and psychiatric decline. Homeostasis is
the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of
higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the
coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that
would tend to disturb its normal condition or function.

People who are depressed were found to
have lower concentrations of zinc in their peripheral blood compared
with nondepressed individuals, a meta-analysis suggests. The pathophysiological relationships
between zinc status and depression, and the potential benefits of
zinc supplementation in depressed patients, does warrant further
investigation. This is the conclusion of author Walter Swardfager,
PhD, from the Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto,
Canada, and colleagues. Their findings were published in the
December 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

The analysis included 17 studies that
measured peripheral blood–zinc concentrations in 1643 depressed
patients and 804 control participants. Ten of these studies reported
on psychiatric inpatients, and seven reported on community samples.
Of the participants, 34.4% were male; the mean age was 37.7 years.

I found no mention in the study about
whether the following vitamins, B12 and B6, which can also influence
depression were even considered. From my research, I know that
vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 can influence depression. From the Oregon State University the following is quoted from depression - “Because
a key enzyme in the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and
norepinephrine is PLP-dependent, it has been suggested that vitamin
B6 deficiency may lead to depression. However, clinical trials have
not provided convincing evidence that vitamin B6 supplementation is
an effective treatment for depression, though vitamin B6 may have
therapeutic efficacy in premenopausal women.”

Also from the Oregon State University,
this is quoted from the vitamin B12 - “Observational studies
have found as many as 30% of patients hospitalized for depression are
deficient in vitamin B12. A cross-sectional study of 700
community-living, physically disabled women over the age of 65 found
that vitamin B12 deficient women were twice as likely to be severely
depressed as non-deficient women. A population-based study in 3,884
elderly men and women with depressive disorders found that those with
vitamin B12 deficiency were almost 70% more likely to experience
depression than those with normal vitamin B12 status.”

Rather than purchasing and taking zinc
supplements, I would suggest that you talk this over with your doctor
and have the doctor test for serum zinc deficiency. Be careful, as
many doctors will declare that this is “all in your head.” A
member of our support group had a relative with depression and this
was the answer she received. The doctor also said the same for B12
and B6 and refused to test for them.

We are thankful that our local doctor,
Dr. Tom, as we have nicknamed him, that knows our group fairly well
now, did the tests for Sue's relative and discovered she was severely
deficient for zinc, iron, and vitamin B12. He gave a series of shots
for the B12 and started her on iron supplements immediately. He said
because iron could prevent the uptake of zinc, he wanted her iron
levels in the normal range before she took any zinc supplements.
Sue's relative recovered from her depression before she started on
the zinc supplement. There were other vitamins that the doctor
discovered she was in the low range for and they started tackling
them with food to start, and when one still tested low, he prescribed
a supplement for it.

We have invited him to speak to a joint
meeting of his support group and our group in January. He has
accepted this.

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About Me

I am enjoying life, despite diabetes type 2. I am retired and enjoying the time I have for writing and photography. I was diagnosed with type 2 on Oct 2003, on oral meds for 4 months and they were doing nothing to really improve my daily readings. By cutting my carbohydrates I received the most improvement, but still not enough. Then I requested insulin, even though I did not like the thought of needles. That brought about the biggest change and A1c's in the lower 6's and upper 5's. Now I am working at maintaining them under 6.0 and hopefully nearer 5.5.